The Liberty Prairie Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community.
 
We provide leadership and financial support for local food system development, social entrepreneurship, land conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement.
 
Support our farmers and join us for upcoming educational events at the Prairie Crossing Farm.
Fall Festival quickly approaching on Saturday, Sept. 24!

Join the Liberty Prairie Foundation and Prairie Crossing Farmers at our Fall Festival from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 as we celebrate another successful season at the Prairie Crossing Farm.

This year's festival is packed with fun activities for the whole family. We'll offer free hayride tours of the Prairie Crossing Farm. Hayrides will depart at approximately 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. from the parking lot at the Yellow Farmhouse. Round Lake Public Library staff will hold storytime at 11 a.m., and storytime will continue on the hour for the remainder of the day with Prairie Farm Corps alumni. There will also be live music, a free kids' craft and the Prairie Crossing Charter School will offer face painting. Come learn about interesting homesteading topics at interactive learning booths including "Where does bread come from?," Press your own cider," and "Canning 101." 

There will be plenty of ways to support your local farmers through a variety of locally-grown products. Stock up on fall vegetables grown by Radical Root Farm, Sandhill Family Farms, and other farm products. You can learn about pastured ducks with Duck Tail Farm and pastured pork with Yaw-Ye Farms.
This year's festival will also feature a series of five free, 30-minute educational workshops on these topics throughout the day:

11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Native Plants for Your Yard and Garden
11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Making Natural Beauty Products
12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - The Art of Making Sauerkraut
12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. - Common Garden Pests
1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Growing Garlic

The Fall Festival will be held in the Prairie Crossing Farm's Yellow Farmhouse parking lot at 32400 N. Harris Road, Grayslake. Parking will be on both sides of Harris Road. Enter the farm through the Prairie Crossing subdivision and follow the "Farm Event" signs. The event will be held rain or shine! Good Agricultural Practices discourage even the best trained animals near fields used for growing food, so please leave all pets at home except service dogs. 

Click here for more information about our seasonal events, and we hope to see you at the Fall Festival!
Local food leads to community development
 
Roberti Community House volunteers and families display vegetables harvested through the Foundation's Gleaning Program.
Part of the Foundation's Community Food Systems Program includes outreach to underserved communities and support of innovative projects throughout Lake County that make local, fresh food more accessible. Over the last few years, the Liberty Prairie Foundation has launched programs that increase access to fresh food in underserved communities. Along the way, we have formed partnerships with groups working to improve and feed their communities while using food as a catalyst for change.
 
Roberti Community House (RCH) in Waukegan is one of the dynamic organizations that we partner with in several ways. RCH is a volunteer-run organization that serves as a gathering place where neighbors of all ages come together to develop and share their skills and talents and celebrate their successes. Each week this summer, RCH received vegetables harvested through the Foundation's Gleaning Program.
 
Over the last two summers, Sandhill Family Farms has allowed volunteers to harvest vegetables from their fields weekly. The vegetables are then delivered to food pantries and community groups serving vulnerable clients throughout the county. The Foundation delivered a portion of the gleaned vegetables to RCH every Tuesday this summer. RCH set up a market table and gave out the fresh vegetables to neighborhood families and clients of Holy Family Food Pantry, which is directly across the street from the community house. Foundation staff also provided simple, healthy recipes to show people easy ways to use the fresh vegetables when feeding their families.
 
Tuesdays were also a time for families to come together to help tend the RCH community garden, sample tasty vegetables directly from the garden and do fun crafts and activities. The excitement and buzz on the block was contagious and it was thrilling to see neighbors brought together around local, healthy food.
 
The Foundation is inspired by the amazing work RCH is doing and is grateful for the strong partnership that we have forged to positively impact the community of Waukegan through food. 
Two gleaning volunteer opportunities left this season             

There's still time to come glean with the Liberty Prairie Foundation this season! There are two remaining gleaning dates: Sept. 25 and Oct. 9 from 1-5 p.m. at the Prairie Crossing Farm.
 
Gleaning volunteers harvest produce that otherwise would not be harvested from one of the independent farm businesses located at the Prairie Crossing Farm. The vegetables are then delivered to local food pantries for distribution to their clients. Gleaning is a great way to volunteer and know you're making a difference in your community.
 
Thank you to Sandhill Family Farms for allowing us to glean their fields this season and to our dedicated volunteers! Throughout the summer, volunteers have helped us to glean more than 4,680 pounds of food, which has been delivered to local food pantries and community groups that serve food insecure clients.
 
Click here for more information and email gleaning@libertyprairie.org to RSVP for a specific date or to join the gleaning program email list.

Prairie Farm Corps at the Libertyville Farmers Market
Don't forget to visit the Prairie Farm Corps at the Libertyville Farmers Market on Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 20. Stock up on fresh, certified organic vegetables while also supporting this impactful youth development program. The market is held at Cook Park in downtown Libertyville between W. Church Street and Cook Avenue.
 
The Prairie Farm Corps stand is stationed in the green space at the corner of Cook Park just across the street from Lovin Oven Cakery. This season the Prairie Farm Corps is the only vegetable stand at the Libertyville market providing local, certified organic vegetables. 

The Prairie Farm Corps is a youth development program at the Prairie Crossing Farm for diverse students from central Lake County. This program integrates personal and professional development with farm work, and also provides participants with hands-on experience cooking fresh vegetables and incorporating healthy eating habits into their lives.
About the Prairie Crossing Farm      

The Prairie Crossing Farm is a working organic farm nestled inside the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, Illinois. The Prairie Crossing Farm is owned by the Liberty Prairie Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

The Foundation operates a variety of programs at the Prairie Crossing Farm to advance our mission. The Farm Business Development Center, an incubator program, prepares beginning farmers to meet the demand for locally-grown organic food in the Chicago region. The independently-owned Prairie Crossing Farm businesses serve customers throughout the Chicago region.

 

The Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm. Educational programming includes the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program, seasonal events, and more.
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030

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